March on Washington, Fawn Weaver fired, RIP Hal Williams
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What I’m Reading
Rev. Al Shapron, Martin Luther King III, and other civil rights leaders have announced plans for “March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote,” set to take place in Washington, D.C., on Friday, August 28.
“Defending the vote means defending the foundation of our democracy,” Martin Luther King III said in a statement. “Sixty-three years after my father stood at the Lincoln Memorial, we are called to march again, not only in remembrance, but in action.”
National Park Service replaces President’s House slavery exhibit in Philly, WHYY
While the public slept overnight, the Trump administration replaced panels about the brutality of slavery at the Philadelphia President’s House memorial.
“It was allowed to do this by the decision of the federal court, but that it did so at night shows it understands this action is shameful, that it violates community trust,” Mayor Cherelle Parker said in a statement.
To Detroiters, Motown is more than just music, NPR
I can’t miss an opportunity to share a story about my hometown. NPR traveled to the Motor City to chat with Jamon Jordan, Detroit’s official historian, about Motown Records and its deep connection to the city.
We must support Black media!
Please get your tickets for the Baltimore Beat’s signature Summer Jam event, which now includes the inaugural Legacy Gala. This awards ceremony will honor W. Paul Coates (whom I interviewed in the early years of my newsletter), Dr. Leslie King Hammond, and Afro Charities for their work in preserving Black media.
Read the latest on the Baltimore Beat here.
What’s In The News
Across America
California: A new statewide dashboard is tracking Black student success across California’s 31 Black-serving institutions…
District of Columbia: The iconic Cathy Hughes, media mogul and founder of Urban One Inc, has received a key to the city…
Florida: Marlon A. Walker profiled the controversial Florida A&M University President Marva B. Johnson…
Illinois: 37-year-old Mary Alice Love was experiencing a mental health crisis when she was shot and killed by Mundelein police. Supporters of her family refuse to let her story go untold…
Iowa: My latest for Michael Harriot’s Contraband Camp — Book bans are surging in Iowa. So Nikole Hannah-Jones is bringing banned authors to the state for a free Read-In…
Maryland: The Harriet Tubman Museum was forced to close its doors after thieves broke in over the weekend and stole its donation box…
Mississippi: This state “leads the nation in rates of high blood pressure, a leading contributor to maternal deaths and a growing concern for young women”...
North Carolina: In some parts of the state, majority-Black public schools are the first on the chopping block…
Ohio: A Toledo woman says a fast-spreading parasite left her “camped out in the bathroom” and she’s still experiencing nausea more than two weeks later…
Pennsylvania: Longtime anchor Ukee Washington is celebrating 40 years with CBS News Philadelphia…
Tennessee: Progressives need to pay attention to Tennessee and Justin Pearson, according to historian Robin D. G. Kelley…
Virginia: The Virginia Beach City Council voted to honor the R&B group Blackstreet by dedicating a road to them…
What’s Happening
Uncle Nearest CEO Fawn Weaver and her husband, Keith, have been fired from the Tennessee whiskey brand…
Nolan Wells’ mother announced funeral services for the 18-year-old student athlete, as the family continues seeking answers…
I spoke with Helena Andrews-Dyer about the viral photo of the Black woman who was surrounded by white supremacists on a train…
Scholars have begun scrutinizing Kerri K. Greenidge’s 2022 book, “The Grimkes,” and now she appears to have lost her professorship at Tufts University. Greenidge has denied any claims of plagiarism, and told the New York Times that “the attack on Black women academics is real.”
A Reuters analysis found that pollution from Elon Musk’s xAI power project is hitting predominantly Black neighborhoods the hardest…
A judge authorized the FBI to secretly monitor state Sen. Louise Lucas’ phone…
NAACP has announced its largest get-out-the-vote campaign for a midterm election in the organization’s 117-year history…
Raisa Habersham explained what you need to know about the congressional race to replace longtime South Florida congresswoman Frederica Wilson…
The Guardian’s Adria Walker reported on a program that gives Black single moms $1,000 a month for a year. The results are undeniable…
Kecia Ellick told Errin Haines she sees her vote as a way to prove people wrong and send a message about who Black women are and what they can accomplish…
The mothers of Black babies are more likely to be flagged to police over allegations of substance use during pregnancy, according to The Marshall Project…
The Black Star Line Literacy Bus is heading directly into neighborhoods across Baltimore to encourage children to read...
Jahaura Michelle compiled a list of 10 Black-owned summer camps that help kids learn new skills and celebrate culture throughout the summer…
Take a look at some rare photos that have been tucked away in HBCU archives, but are being widely shared for the first time thanks to the Getty Images photo archive grants program…
Entertainment News
Boosie Badazz hired Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman, two well-known right-wing scammers, to help him secure clemency from Trump. The rapper is now fighting to retrieve $300,000 from them…
Ava DuVernay has created a documentary for Netflix about the 14th Amendment, and is set to launch sometime this year…
Are HBCUs making a comeback in scripted programming? Nathan Lately explored the latest projects from Netflix, aspireTV and Oprah Winfrey in his latest for EBONY…
A man broke into the “Today” show’s studio in New York City looking for Al Roker, confronting Craig Melvin and yelling racist slurs…
Morehouse’s Boxing Club offers a supportive space for members to train their bodies and combat stress, Joshua Bass writes for Andscape…
Big Daddy Kane spoke with VIBE about “Curtain Call,” his first solo album in nearly three decades...
Tonya Mosley chatted with the popular romance novelist Kennedy Ryan about her work…
Tracee Ellis Ross got an apartment in New York City for the summer as she makes her Broadway debut…
R. Kelly has appealed to Trump for a reduction of his three-decade prison sentence…
Obituaries
Hal Williams, who starred in the sitcom “227” and was a series regular on “Sanford and Son,” has died. He was 91…
Denise Oliver-Velez, an activist, member of The Young Lords and Black Panthers, and professor, has died. She was 78…
Don’t Miss
Can you beat my time on Black Crossword? 1 minute, 3 seconds…
Students across the Detroit area are encouraged to apply for the Freedom Tour, which promotes “activism, racial justice, and nonviolence by taking participants across important historical landmarks.” The tour runs from July 30 to August 2. Apply here…
The Chisholm Legacy Project is looking to place Organizers-in-Training throughout the U.S. to participate in its Black Rural Organizing Institute…
Ariana has curated this amazing list of Black books that are set in every state…
The South Arts organization is offering a $5,000 fellowship for Black Appalachian storytellers. Find out more details here…
The Department of African and African American Studies at Stanford University is seeking an Assistant Professor in African American History…